Tashi Namgyal's March 10 Speech

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The following speech by North American Chitue candidate Tashi Namgyal was given in Seattle on March 10, 2011 at a commemoration rally jointly
organized by the Seattle Tibetan Youth Congress and the Seattle Tibetan Association. The speech text was provided to TPR by the candidate.

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Today, the 52nd Anniversary of Tibetan National
Uprising of 1959 was the day when tens of thousands of Tibetan masses
rose up against the Chinese occupation of Tibet under the guise of
"liberation." The subsequent Chinese suppression and oppression resulted
in the deaths of a very many of our compatriots.

Therefore, let
us salute those brave men and women, who sacrificed their precious,
live for the cause of the Tibet and for a better future for all of us.
The suffering of our brethren in Tibet continues even today under
Chinese occupation. Time and again our brothers and sisters in Tibet
have expressed their desire for freedom and for the return of His
Holiness the Dalai Lama to his rightful place in Lhasa .

Even
though China as a nation has changed over the years and comparatively
opened up, the Tibetans continue to be treated as second class citizens
in their own land. The Chinese Government undertakes racial
discriminations . Although many Chinese enjoy comparable freedom of
movement Tibetans are still denied freedom of religion or travel,
including even their passports, which are their legal rights. Similarly,
Tibetans living in the United States who are American citizens are
treated differently by the Chinese Embassies and denied visas without
any justifiable reasons. Unlike other American citizens, Tibetan
Americans are even subjected to thorough investigations and made to
provide names of all our family members in exile and other details.

To
the Tibetans outside Tibet , I want to take this opportunity to urge
you to work unceasingly to strengthen the hands of His Holiness the
Dalai Lama through active participation in the democratic process, which
he so painstakingly established. This includes the participation of
every single eligible voter in the upcoming election of Kalon Tripa and
the members of the 15th Tibetan Parliament in Exile.

To my
fellow Tibetans in North America, one concrete way that we can
contribute to the Tibetan cause is by our active participation in the
political process of the United States and Canada . I was very
encouraged by the strong presence of Tibetan Americans as well as
Tibetan Canadians during the two-day Lobby Day in Washington , D.C. ,
coordinated by the International Campaign for Tibet .

I would like to strongly draw the attention of the Tibetan
people to His Holiness' desire to devolve his authority. This is a huge
issue for the Tibetan people and we should not remain silent
spectators but must put our heads together to discuss this issue
threadbare.

Today, I would like to challenge
the Chinese authorities that if they are confidant that the situation
Tibet is stable and Tibetans are prosperous:

1. then open up Tibet to outside world and let there be free movement of people in and out of Tibet .

2. Let the Tibetan living outside Tibet be allowed to visit their long separated relatives, near and dear one.

When
such a situation develops, the Tibetans and international community
will be convinced that the situation in Tibet is indeed 'stable' . This
will be a great step toward making it a 'harmonious society'

I
call upon our American and Canadian governments to render proactive
support to His Holiness the Dalai Lama in his effort to find a mutually
satisfactory solution to the Tibetan people.

May His Holiness the Dalai Lama live long and may all the aspirations of the Tibetan people be fulfilled.